TNI MUST BE INVOLVED IN COUNTER MEASURES AGAINST TERRORISM

STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. Jakarta. The country’s antiterrorism agenda may lead to repressive approaches by the military as the House of Representativesn might consider opening the door to the possibility of the Indonesian Military (TNI) taking on a greater role in counterterrorism operations.

The House’s special committee tasked with revising the 2003 Terrorism Law plans to hold a hearing next week to discuss the military’s involvement in the fight against terror.

It follows a letter the TNI sent to the committee seeking to alter terrorism eradication measures from reactive to proactive in nature, a move feared by many as paving the way for repressive operations.

OPERATIONS ATTACK TERRORISTS

The letter, signed by TNI commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto on January 8, suggested that the House first change the title of the bill, from “Eradication of the Criminal Act of Terrorism” to “Counter Measures against Acts of Terrorism”.

“The initial title will limit efforts in fighting terrorism because that will only give the authority to the National Police in the domain of criminal justice, while in fact, terrorism in Indonesia not only threatens security and order, but also the country’s ideology and souverignty,” the letter said. In the letter, the TNI also seeks a role in counterterrorism intelligence, among others, which is also coordinated with the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and other relevant institutions as part of preventive measures.

The controversial terrorism bill has gone through long and heavy debate over the power struggle between the country’s various agencies, for instance, the TNI, the BNPT, the National Police and the State Intelligece Agency (BIN), which have been competing with each other for more power in the campaign to clamp down on terrorism.

Following this news and the debate of revising bill of terrorism, Pramitha Prameswari, an intelligence and security issues observer in Jakarta has said, remembering the destruction of terrorism acts and terrors could be damaged the ideology, souverignty and unrest in Indonesia, fighting against terrorism acts must be involved all of stakeholders such as BIN, BNPT, the TNI dan the National Police, but among institutions much be delivered their main task to shrug off overlapping main tasks.

STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT

“For instance, the main task of BIN in the efforts of clamp down on terrorism acts is to provide valid intelligence about the background of terrorism groups and their personnel and their strength and weaknessess. BIN also to provide information about “man behind the gun and the sponsor of terror groups in Indonesia, including the mapping and the correlation about the existence of terror groups in Indonesia with their allies in abroad. Meanwhile, the BNPT focusing on war against terror ideology through deradicalization, literacy about the danger of terrorism, disengagement terror actor who was caught by the TNI or the National Police and both the TNI and the National Police must be joined together to pursuit, to catch and to destroy terrors groups in Indonesia, which the basic information they must be fulfiled by the State Intelligence Agency (BIN),” Pramitha said further. (Ertama/Tommy CK)